Current-regulator.



V. G. APPLE.

CURRENT REGULATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED DEC. 21, 1908;

Patented July 19, 1910.

Zfldmeaa WI UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' VINCENT G. APPLE, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

CURRENT-REGULATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINQENTG. APPLE, a.

citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, 1n the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new chines, and has for its general object to prosnugly within the shell 12.

vide an improved current regulator of simple and hlghly eihcient construction adapted to be made in small sizes for convenient use In gas engine ignition apparatus and the like. In the drawings in which I have illustrated a practical embodiment of my invention; Figure lis a central, vertical longitudinal sect-ion of a load regulator diagrammatically illustrating the connection of its electrical parts in acircuit, and; Fig, 2 is a perspective of parts of the variable resistance devices vith some of the elements separated and some broken away to illustrate the construction.

Broadly considered my improved current regulator consists of a variable resistance element of a character highly responsive to variations in pressure, such for example as apile of carbon plates, arranged forinclusion in an electric circuit and an electromagnetically controlled pressure device, controlling the compression, and therefore the resistance, of the variable resistance element, such controller having its coil arranged for inclusion in an electric circuit.

More specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, I preferably provide an electro-magnet, generally indicated at 10, preferably in the form of an iron-clad structure whereof 11 is the core and 12 the concentricishell, extending far beyond the end of the core, as at 12, to form a housing.- For convenient manufacture the core 11 and 'end disk, or yoke, 13, are made integral and said yoke is inserted in the tubular shell 12, and secured as by pins 14. The coil, 15, wound upon. the core, has its terminals 16 brought out through an insulated aperture in the plate 13, and the opposite extremity of the core 11 is surrounded by an insulated washer l7 fitting The armature 18 is a disk, fitting within the housingportion 12' of the magnetsh'ell, for free longitudinal movement therein, and is provided Specification of Letters Patent.

- Application filed December 21, 1908.

Patented July 19, 1910. Serial No. 468,515.

The variable resistance structure interfitting in and coacting with the shell in the structure illustrated comprises an end plate.

23, fitting in an annular recess 12 in the end of the housingportion 12 of the shell,said end plate being provided with a transverse slot 23 in which are fitted insulating posts or guides 24, one on each side of the axis of the device extending nearly to the armature 18. The chamber inclosed by the shell extensions 12 and the end member 23 is insulated by filler segments 25, and a side band 26. and within the insulated space thus provided is arranged the carbon-structure. In general the variable resistance structure consists of two piles of carbon half-disks, or segments, having their outer end members connected with terminal elements fixed in the plate 23, and at their inner ends bridged across by a solid carbon disk, through the carbon piles a conductive path may be formed including such piles in series. Specifically I prefer that there be provided upon each side of the insulatingguides 24 a pile or series of three ormore carbon halfdisks, there being provided two such piles, as shown at 27, 27, insulated from each other by said guides 24, and a bridging disk 28 establishing a connection between the two piles 27 27 and receiving-in contact therewith the point 19 of the armature 18. I

prefer that the surface of the full carbon disk 28 be covered with a sheet of insula tion 29, which may conveniently be secured thereto by a coating 30 of shellac, although obviously any other medium may be employed; Preferably also the carbon disk 30 is notched at its sides as at 31, to slide upon the guides 24 and assist in holding them in position by spacing the free ends of said guides.

I The bottommost members of the two carbon piles 27, 27 are connected with terminal members extending through and insulated from the end plate 23. To this end I provide a specially constructed end member for each half-disk pile providing a metallic base 32, from which projects a screw 33 adapted to pass through an insulated aperture 34 in the end member 25, and receive a nut 35 for retaining it in position. The lowermost carbon half-disk has its under surface copperplated asat 36, and the copper-plated surfaceis attached to the metallic base- 32 and the terminal screw 33 by a bodyof solder, as indicated at 37. Now it will be'seen that in its assembled condition the regulator consists of a completely closed metallic case, without exterior moving parts, presenting exteriorly only the screws 22 and the terminals 16 and 35. In use the terminals 35 are connected in the shunt field circuit a of an electric dynamo A, and the terminals 16 are connected at one side of the line 6 across which are connected the translating devices a of any suitable character.

In operation, assuming the dynamo A to be driven at varying speeds, as for example,

-by direct contact with a gas engine of an automobile, the spring 21 may be adjusted by the screw 22 so that at some predetermined speed the device commences its regulating function and prevents any sub's'tantial increase in the current out-put. The regulation isaccomplished by variation of the resistance in the dynamo field due to,

variation in the magnetic efi'ort of the electro-magnet. l/Vhen the predetermined maxi mum output of say 5 amperes is reached the magnet begins to draw the armature away from the carbon pile, weakening the pres sure thereon and tending to increase the resistance in the field circuit, and the tendency of the dynamo to increase its output, due to an increase in speed, is counterbalanced by the tendency of the electro-magnet to weaken the pressure upon the carbon pile and thereby to increase the resistance in the field circuit and cut down the strength of the field, so that in practice a maximum output may be imposed upon the dynamo which will be substantially retained through a wide variation in speed above some normal predetermined rate.

While I have herein described in some detail a specific embodiment of my invention which I believe to be new in many of its details of construction, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that'the structural details might be widely varied without departure from the spirit and scope, of my invention, and I do not desire to be understood as limiting my inventionto the specific construction illustratively indicated for purposes of disclosure, further-than as specified in the claim. v

Having described my invention, what I claim is; I

In a device of the character described, the combination of an electro-magnet, compris ing a core, a winding on said core, a shell spring-pressed armature, and separated elec 'trical conductors connected with the outermost plates of the carbon piles, and ex-.

tending to the exterior of the'structure.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set" my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

VINCENT G. APPLE.-

In the presence of E. 'V. MARTIN, N. E. SNYDER. 

